50 Cent Apologizes for Mocking Autistic Airport Janitor on Video

50 Cent felt the sting of public disapproval this week after sharing a video in which he appeared to taunt an airport employee who, as it turns out, is autistic. Now he says he's sorry.

In a since-deleted Instagram clip, 50 teased 19-year-old Andrew Farrell, who was just working his shift as a janitor at the Cincinatti/Northern Kentucky Airport.

In the video, 50 pronounces that "the new generation is crazy," then follows Farrell, asking his name. Farrell was unresponsive because, as Page Six reports, the young man's form of autism makes it difficult to communicate with others. But 50, evidently, mistook him for a stoner.

"Look at him, what kind of sh---t you think he took before he got to work today? He high as a motherf---cker right here in the airport," he continued. It's hard to watch, as Farrell keeps his eyes on his custodial cart and silently shakes his head at the rapper's comments.

Days later, upon learning that Farrell was not "high as a motherf---cker" and receiving criticism for his behavior, 50 expressed regret in a statement to Page Six.

"While the incident at the airport resulted from an unfortunate misunderstanding, I am truly sorry for offending the young man," 50 told the gossip site. "It was certainly not my intent to insult him or the disability community, which is a source of great strength in America. I have apologized personally to him and his family."

A FOX affiliate spoke with Farrell and his mother shortly after the incident, and Farrell told a reporter that the interaction made him feel like 50 Cent was a "jerk" — you can watch both the original deleted video and Farrell's reaction to the encounter below. At the very least, one hopes this incident will make us all think twice before making assumptions about strangers and (mis)behaving accordingly.